Police cells on alert as jails full

Prisoners were today filling police cells in the West Midlands after it was revealed that jails throughout the country have reached full capacity.

Each station in the region is believed to be on stand by to take prisoners waiting for a remand or full-time place in prison.

Six prisoners are currently being held in Walsall Police Station, putting pressure on day-to-day operations. No figures were available for other stations.

Nationally, the jail overcrowding crisis has reached a new peak, with 82,068 inmates in England and Wales, almost 100 above the normal ceiling set by the Prison Service - meaning jails are technically full to capacity.

All prisons in the West Midlands are believed to be at their peak levels.

There are plans to extend Featherstone Prison near Wolverhampton to cope with rising numbers at the Category C centre, built in 1976 and which houses 679 inmates.

Blakenhurst Prison in Redditch has capacity for 1,060 inmates, Birmingham Prison has a 1,450 capacity and Stafford Prison can house 680 inmates.